After a serious brain injury in Afghanistan, war correspondent Hannah Manning is staying with her sister's family in Ontario to recuperate. Because bright lights bring on blackouts, she sometimes retreats to an old root cellar, where she smells death and hears an old-fashioned sounding woman speaking with an unusual lilt. Is she hallucinating or in a time warp? Narrator Carrington MacDuffie deftly handles the varying accents while sympathetically rendering Hannah's feelings of helplessness at her condition. When she befriends a young Afghan woman who is brutally murdered, Hannah must cope with her faulty memory while trying to protect her precious niece. MacDuffie skillfully recounts both stories—contemporary and historical—adding immeasurably to the audio experience. This fine mystery couldn't be more timely.
Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2012
Duration: 9 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Novelist Benet Archdale and housemaid Carol Stratford are two young, single parents who have no reason to know each other. They become tangled in a nightmarish spiral of kidnap, fraud, family violence and death. Ruth Rendell creates psychological suspense in thrillers that are compulsively readable or, in this case, listenable. British actress Imelda Staunton's reading is perfectly paced, and the characters are well defined. You'll have a hard time turning it off.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 9 hrs
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America/ Chivers
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Emerson and Peabody are at it again! Uncovering antiquities takes a back-seat as the romantic archaeologists track down the master criminal who is stealing Egypt's ancient treasures. With the help of their precocious son, Ramses, the intrepid pair unravel this mystery in crowded bazaars, desert camps and the heart of the Black Pyramid. Barbara Rosenblat's reading fully measures up to the tale. She is a master of timing and nuance. Rosenblat's power for character interpretation has grown with each book in this amusing series. This is the best one yet.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 12 hrs
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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